A Helping Hand
by BookFan96
Summary: When Victoria Hand finds her rookie beaten and tortured, it sets her on a path that she never expected. Motherhood. A Hand adopts Skye story.
1. Chapter 1

**3:07am- June 25, 1989- The Hill- Somewhere in the Midwest**

Unlike the majority of her coworkers, Victoria found that she enjoyed doing the paperwork that came along with her job. A holdover from her past training as an accountant, she supposed. It helped provide a sense of order to her day; it allowed her to extend some much-needed control over the much weirder world that she now found herself in.

When she was starting out, Victoria used to resent the fact that her superiors would push their paperwork onto her, but with time, she learned to appreciate it. Most of the specialists often forgot to sort through the things that they gave her to file, so she frequently came across things that she really had no business reading. At first, she had returned the files to the specialists with pointed, little notes about clearance levels, but after a few months of the notes having no effect her Supervising Officer pulled her aside and told her to just keep her mouth shut about what she saw and file the damn paperwork. So she did. And in the end, she was thankful for her S.O's advice.

Thanks to all the extra paperwork she did, she understood the system that governed SHIELD, along with the reasoning behind many of the rules. Within a few years, she had gained a reputation for getting the job done efficiently, with minimal breaking of rules. Something the higher ups appreciated, judging by her regular promotions. She had advanced faster than most of her academy class, even faster than Commander Fury's favorites, Coulson and May.

So no, Victoria did not mind doing paperwork. Even if her dedication to the bureaucratic and procedural side of SHIELD caused many of her colleagues to view her as a "buzz kill" as John Garrett had put it. They were very happy to push most of their paperwork off on her to do, not realizing in the process that they were giving her power over them.

After all, that's what information is. Power. She knew more than she wanted to about the different agents in her department, thanks to all the paperwork. She knew how they fought, what skills they valued, what they enjoyed for lunch-seriously, could Vega have anymore sauce spilled on his reports? - and where they went when they needed an escape from SHIELD. She knew who was sleeping with whom, and which agents couldn't stand working together. Medical reports, disciplinary notices, requisition forms, leave requests, after action reports, informant processing packets, inter-agency memos and more flowed through her hands before being shuffled off to the appropriate departments.

And she used it all. Not to hurt others or be malicious-because honestly, who has the time for petty rivalries and grudges with everything else-but to make her job easier and to ensure that the missions she was on went flawlessly. SHIELD was her life, and she would always do what she could to protect the agency, her fellow agents, and the civilians they served.

Flipping through the last of the reports for the night, she smirked as she noticed that Garrett had, once again, forgot to sign his request for leave. Had it been anyone else, she would have forged the signature and sent it off, or returned it with a reminder to sign it, but since it was Garrett…. She shrugged and packaged the unsigned form in with the rest of the forms for personnel and dropped it in the out-box for morning pick-up. Maybe having to work the holiday shift would teach him not to harass her rookies. Or to do his own damn paperwork. A glance at her watch showed that it was long passed time for her to head home anyway. _3am…Wonder if that's some kind of record._ Oh well, it's not like she had someone waiting at home for her anyway. Not with Izzy now posted in Europe.

Taking the elevator down to the parking garage, she quickly made her way to her car, her senses on alert for anything out of place. Just because this was a secure facility, didn't mean that one should let their guard down. Specialists were notorious pranksters, and she had no desire to be their next victim. Especially considering that May had been stuck on desk duty with an injury for the past 3 weeks. The boredom alone would cause that woman to think up the most devious pranks. Let alone the torture of being stuck running back-end for John Garrett. Good God, that man needed instructions for every part of the mission. "Turn here, stop there, there's four hostiles in front of your nose." How he managed to make it past the Academy was beyond her.

Shuddering in remembrance of her time running back-end for Garrett, Victoria reached her car. Quickly checking the trunk and undercarriage for signs of tampering, she gave a nod of satisfaction when she found none. Peering into the windows, she determined that the backseat was also clear, before sliding into the drivers seat. A quick scan of the steering column and dashboard assured her that no one had tampered with her car in any way. Though after what happened to the last rookie who decided it would be a good idea to try to prank her, she didn't really expect to find anything.

Smirking, she idly wondered how Jackson was enjoying his solo posting in the Siberian wilderness, as she reversed out of her parking spot. It was only her quick reflexes that kept her from hitting the bloodied young woman that had appeared behind her car. Throwing the car into park, she was out of the car just in time to catch the woman before she hit the ground.

"Linda!"

Victoria was horrified to recognize her first rookie under all the blood.

"Vic…"

Linda gasped out weakly, her eyes clouded with pain. She weakly shoved a small flash drive into Victoria's hand, clutching her with a tight grip that betrayed her desperation.

"Save her…"

Victoria almost missed Linda's gasped sentence, given that she was frantically dialing the security office for help.

"Stay with me Linda! Do you hear me? Stay with me Rookie!"

Finally connecting with the security desk she barked out orders to the guard on duty,

"This is Agent Victoria Hand! I am on the third level of the secure parking garage and I have an agent down! Get me a med team and lock the base down now!"

Throwing the phone down, Victoria focused all her energy on the bleeding woman in front of her.

"Vic…promise me, you'll protect her…can't tell…protect her…my sky…"

It was with these words that Linda finally slipped into unconsciousness. Seconds later, the two women were surrounded by a SHIELD med team who quickly ushered Victoria out of the way. Only once she could no longer see Linda did Victoria realize that the entire base now rang with sirens and warning lights. The scene almost seemed unreal, belonging more to a war-torn hotspot rather than a secure SHIELD base. Glancing down at the flash drive in her hand, Victoria quickly slipped it into her waistband. Linda had obviously gone through hell to get it to her, and there was no way she was handing it over without finding out why.

* * *

 **6:47am- June 25, 1989- The Hill- Medical Waiting Room**

At military rest, Victoria stood in the waiting room of the med bay, staring patiently at the doors to the surgery. The doctors had forbidden her from following them through to the treatment area, threatening to throw her out of the building if she stepped foot in their domain. The other agents in the room watched her nervously, though they could not explain why. It was only later would a junior agent realize that the look in Victoria's eyes as she waited for the doctor was the same look that he had seen in the eyes of a mountain lion he had encountered during his survivalist training. It was a look that was at once calculating and deadly, with the promise of pain and blood to come. The senior agent had not moved in the three hours since she had come to the waiting room, but rather had stood, stock still and poised to strike at the earliest hint of her former Rookie's condition.

The sound of a door closing behind her pulled Victoria's concentration for only a moment before it was once more settled on her target. Her new guest did not make a sound as she came to stand beside her.

"Any news?"

A small shake of the head was all the answer that Agent Melinda May received before Victoria once again became a statue. Undeterred the smaller woman continued,

"We got the base shut down within minutes of your alert. The techs are combing the garage for any indication of how Linda got in the building. The logs don't have her swiping in or out for the past three weeks. No sign yet of her attacker."

Something about these words roused Victoria from her vigil. With a searching glance at the other agent, she seemed to come to some decision.

"Would you stay here? Wait for her? I need to…"

With a vague gesture, Victoria motioned to her bloodstained clothes and skin. Meeting her eyes, May gave a single sharp nod before taking up Victoria's stance in front of the surgery doors. With one last glance toward those doors, Victoria quickly retreated from the med center to her office. Locking the door, she quickly slid the blinds closed and flicked on a small device that blocked all forms of cameras, listening devices, and other surveillance equipment. She wasn't foolish enough to believe that the top spy organization in the world didn't spy on it's own people. It was just common sense. She quickly scrubbed most of the blood off her hands with a bottle of water and a towel from her gym bag. Once that was done, she stripped the bloodied clothes from her body, being careful to keep hold of the flash drive. The ruined clothes were then dumped into the wastebasket, new ones were pulled on, and the flash drive was secured in her desk. Glancing at the clock, Victoria figured that she had roughly ten minutes before her absence would be considered unusual. Setting a mental alarm, Victoria then sunk down on the floor, her back in a corner, and gave herself approximately 7 minutes to cry and be human before going out there and to once more be "Agent Hand", resident hard ass, rather than simply Victoria.

* * *

 **10:43am- June 25, 1989**

Hours later, Victoria was still maintaining her vigil in front of the med bay doors, barely blinking. Doctors had come and gone, as had a large number of agents. But there was no news about Linda. The longer she stood there waiting, the more dread pooled in her stomach. It had now been 7 hours since she had found Linda. And who knows how long it had been since she was injured. _God, the marks on her body…all that blood…_ Victoria had seen people in that condition before, hell she had been responsible for people being in that state before. But it had never been someone she cared about. Someone that she considered her responsibility. No matter the fact that Linda hadn't been her rookie for a couple of years, it had been her job to train Linda to survive. And now she was fighting for her life. Victoria mentally reviewed every bit of training she had ever put Linda through, picking apart every lesson, berating herself for not pushing harder, teaching more. For not keeping, a closer eye on the younger woman went she was cleared to work without supervision.

The soft whoosh of the med bay doors broke her from her contemplations, her eyes immediately fixating on the doctor that now approached her. Linda's doctor. It only took one look at his face for her to see what the outcome was. The man's words only confirmed what the slump of his shoulders, the defeat in his eyes, and the resigned set of his face had already told her.

"I'm sorry Agent Hand. We did everything we could, but her injuries were more than her body could deal with. It was a miracle that she lasted as long as she did…"

Seeing the stony look in Victoria's eyes, the doctor fell silent before shifting uncomfortably, waiting.

"Thank you for letting me know. I will inform her family. Please have the body ready for transport by tomorrow morning."

Victoria showed no emotion as she spoke, no one would have ever guessed that she felt any sort of emotion for the dead agent. With a nod, the doctor turned and escaped back to the med bay. Staring at the doors for only a moment longer, Agent Hand turned and strode down the hallways, perfectly composed and in control. It was only once she was shut safely in her office again that she allowed a sob to escape her lips.

Leaning heavily on the closed office door, she braced her hands on her knees, gasping through the tears that streamed freely down her face. A small _pop_ of sound from above alerted her that she was no longer alone. Before she could even reach for her weapon, let alone dry her tears, she found a tissue held in front of her. Grabbing at it, she wiped her face before glancing at her intruder. Clint Barton had never been her favorite agent, hell most days she wanted to kill him. He was simply too wild, too carefree for her to tolerate for any length of time. He openly flouted the rules and the regulations that guided her life, constantly disrupting her world with his off the cuff handling of ops and his general lack of respect for any authority that was not Nick Fury or Phillip Coulson.

But strangely, it did not bother her that he was the one to see her in this situation. She knew that he would not spread it around simply to boost his own standing. He would not care that she let herself be human for a moment. Nor would he tease her for it later. By tomorrow, he would be back to disobeying her and being a general pain in the ass. For now he let her be human, let her grieve. Standing up once more, she locked eyes with him and gave a simple nod. He studied her for a moment before pulling her into a strong hug. Before she could react, he was gone, back into the air vents without a sound.

Taking a deep breath, Victoria grabbed Linda's flash drive from her desk before gathering up her personal belongings for the day. She would make the call to the Avery's and then head home. It had been a long couple of days.

* * *

Standing in the shadows, two people watched through binoculars at the activity in the base below. They had tracked the escaped agent to this location, only to find that they could not get in.

"Well my love, it looks as if we have lost our toy."

"It's alright Cal. She'll be dead before she can tell them anything."

"Then I suppose that it is time to find the last of the interlopers."

"I suppose so. Though we will have to be careful with this one. He is our last hope of finding our Daisy."

This was said with a pointed look at Cal's bloodstained hands, which even now, hours later, dripped blood onto the ground below.

"Yes, yes. I will be careful. Have to be careful!"

Muttering slightly to himself, Cal turned away, fantasizing about how he would deal with the last of the agents. His wife paid him no attention and simply turned to watch the base once more.

"Soon Daisy. We will find you. I promise."

* * *

 **Safe house- Outside Austin, Texas**

Watching the clock anxiously, Richard Lumley prayed that his partner would show up before the deadline. Of the team that went to China, they were the only two left, the others having disappeared or died over the last three weeks. When the alarm went off, he knew that it was time to move. As much as he wished that he could wait for Linda, he knew that if she wasn't here by now she never would be. With a heavy sigh, he walked out the door, tossing a lit match in behind him. He quickly climbed into the car he had liberated from a police impound lot and taking one last glance at the now burning safe house muttered,

"I'm sorry Linda."

And with that, Richard Lumley disappeared into the night, resigned to the reality that he would spend the rest of his life running away from the monsters that hunted him.


	2. Chapter 2

**11: 30am- June 26, 1989- Victoria's Home**

Once at home, Victoria took a moment to pour herself a glass of her favorite single malt, sculling it quickly before pouring herself another glass. Sipping this one slowly, she once again turned on the device that would disrupt all forms of electronic surveillance before making her way to her computer. SHIELD was more technologically advanced than the open market, and as a high ranking member of one of the research and development sectors, Victoria had access to equipment that would make most tech gurus wet themselves in excitement. Quickly pulling up the program that would prevent all activity on her computer from being recorded onto the hard drive, she plugged in the flash drive Linda had died to give her. After opening up the only program on the device, she found herself facing a dilemma. The program needed a password to open, a password that she didn't know. She could try and work her way around it, but seeing as the program was one that had been developed by SHIELD, she didn't think that would work too well.

Sitting back in her chair she took a long sip of her drink before thinking back to what Linda had said when she had given her the drive. The only thing that Linda had said that could possibly be a clue to the password was the phrase "my sky". Typing the phrase into the box, she scowled at the screen when it returned the "incorrect password" message. She could also see that she only had two more chances to try and open the drive before the program self-destructed and the drive became useless. After another sip of her drink, she stood up and began to pace around the office.

"Come on Linda. What were you thinking when you locked this?"

Muttering to herself, Victoria's gaze fell upon a picture of her and Linda that had been taken after one of their first missions together. It had involved the kidnapping of a child to control a Gifted parent. They had been able to save the child, but the father had been forced to kill three agents in order to protect his son, resulting in the man's death, thus their sharing a drink at a bar afterward.

* * *

 _"I think that I could do it. I mean, I wouldn't be able to be a full time field agent, but if I was based out of a location on a semi-permanent basis, then I think that it would be nice to have a family."_

 _"You keep thinking that Rookie."_

 _"Oh come on, don't tell me that you're one of those people that believe that agents shouldn't have families or outside connections?"_

 _"I never said that. I've seen a lot of agents manage to have both a career and a family. I just don't think that you're plan would work."_

 _Taking a long sip of her beer, Victoria let her gaze wander around the dimly lit bar they now found themselves in. Smirking at Linda's offended expression, she quickly clarified her previous statement._

 _"You wouldn't survive a desk job. I've seen your Academy reports, Avery. Every single one stated that you were meant for the field, not administration or riding a desk in communications."_

 _"Who knows? Having a kid could change that."_

 _Linda's voice was slightly teasing, but Victoria could hear the insecurity underneath her bravado. She wanted to know if Victoria actually thought that she could be a mother and do her job. Another sip of her drink hid her cringing expression. Expressing emotions and comforting others was not Victoria's strong suit. Hell, she was more likely to piss off her coworkers than offer comfort. Just look at what happened last week with Garrett. The man had been laid up in the med bay after being shot, and instead of comforting the man and expressing how happy she was that he hadn't died, she had ended up insulting him. He had ended up throwing her out of his room after accusing her of caring more about the rules than the lives of the agents in the field. With a sigh, Victoria lowered her drink and tried to wade her way through the emotional minefield that her Rookie had put her in._

 _"Maybe. What would you want? A girl or a boy?"_

 _This should be safe. Asking questions meant that there was less chance for her to stick her foot in her mouth. Beaming at her mentor's perceived acceptance and interest, Linda was practically bouncing in her seat as she answered. Victoria was often reminded of a puppy with how Linda acted off duty._

 _"A girl, for sure. I have all male cousins and two brothers. I'd be scared that any son of mine would end up like them. I went nuts growing up with them, I can't imagine raising one without going crazy. What about you? Would you ever want kids?"_

 _"Maybe, with the right person. But given my track record, I don't see that happening, much to my mother's disappointment and everlasting shame."_

 _Victoria couldn't believe that she was actually having this conversation. She must have had more to drink than she thought, to be opening up like this. Any more, and she would end up spilling her whole sordid dating history, from Nathan Williams in junior high to Anna after the Academy. Luckily for her, Linda decided to try and sympathize with her SO by sharing her own overbearing mother story._

 _"I get that. My mom's on me to have kids too. She even has names picked out. Amelia and Brian. I personally like Skye better. With an "e" at that the end. Of course if it's a boy, it would have to be Skylar."_

* * *

With a sense of dread in her stomach, Victoria rushed back to the computer and typed in the passphrase again, this time capitalizing the "S" and adding an "e" to the end. If Linda had used that as a passphrase, then Victoria could only summarize that the information contained within had something to do with a child. Her friend's child, if Linda's final words were anything to go by. The pit in her stomach deepened when the screen unlocked, revealing an encrypted video file. There was nothing else on the drive, but with the amount of security on the drive and file, she knew that whatever this was, it couldn't be good.

"Oh God Linda. What have you done?"

Almost against her will, Victoria clicked on the video link, sitting back as an image of Linda appeared on the screen. It appeared that she was in some sort of cheap motel room, judging by the outdated bedspread and stained walls shown behind her. Linda's nerves were apparent, even through the video. There were dark shadows underneath her eyes and it seemed as if she couldn't sit still. She was constantly shifting her weight and looking beyond the camera, never truly settling into place.

"Hi Vic. If you're watching this than the worst has happened. I can only hope that my death was quick, and that who ever killed me didn't get what they were looking for. I'm not sure how to tell you all this. Hell, I'm still not sure about most of what happened. If I wasn't already dead, you would certainly be wanting to kill me after watching this. I can only hope that you watch this through to the end and that you can help me. I suppose that I should start at the beginning.

"Five weeks ago, Richard Lumley, Ian Carpenter, Erin Lee, Callie Davis, Peter Black and I were sent to back up a SHIELD rapid response mobile team in a small village in the Hunan providence of China. They had been sent in to investigate reports of an O84. They had reported that they had located the village and would contact us when they had found something. The mobile team was one of the best, so no one thought that having a team full of rookies as back up would be a problem. Hell, I was the senior agent on the team, and I've only been on my own for 14 months. By the time we had realized that they had been out of contact for too long, it was too late. All attempts to contact them failed, we didn't even get static. Richard and I made the decision to take Carpenter and Davis to the team's last known coordinates while Black and Lee kept trying to contact them.

"They shouldn't have bothered. There was no one left to contact. By the time we got to the village, everyone was dead. Every last man, woman, child, and agent in that village had been slaughtered and there was no sign of the O84. Some of the villagers had been torn apart, while others looked as if they had been drained of every last drop of energy they had. We managed to gather up our agent's bodies before we realized that there was one agent missing. The mission commander wasn't with the rest of his team in the village. Carpenter managed to find a trail, and Richard and I followed it while Carpenter and Davis brought our people back to the plane."

Taking a deep breath, Linda appeared to be fighting back tears as she struggled to describe what happened next. Victoria took a sip of scotch as the video Linda took a sip of water. Victoria was shaken by what she had just heard. That an entire team of specialists had been slaughtered and she had heard nothing about it shook her.

SHIELD had one of the most active rumor mills she knew of, it came with the territory of being intelligence agents. And yet no one had been talking about the loss of a highly elite mobile team. There had been no notice about additions to the Wall of Valor, nor had she seen any paperwork indicating that an entire team of agents had disappeared, let alone killed. As video Linda began speaking once more, Victoria refocused her attention on the screen.

"Richard and I found the lead agents body under a bridge almost a mile away. He had been shot in the neck, and had still managed to escape with the O84 before his injuries claimed him. We thought that she was dead too, with how quiet she was. But she was merely sleeping, cradled in the arms of a dead man, and covered in blood.

"You heard that right Vic. The O84 was a baby girl. She was small, no more than 6 months old. When we got her back to the plane, we discovered that she was perfectly healthy, underneath all that blood. We were ordered to return to base with the O84 immediately, and told not to speak to anyone about what we had seen. Richard and I were ordered to bring the baby to the O84 to the Sandbox, while the rest of our team brought the agents bodies to the Treehouse. Only the baby got sick.

"We ended up stuck for two weeks on the Iliad while they treated her for a combination ear and strep throat infection. When we were finally cleared to leave, we got the news that Lee had been killed. They had found her in an alley behind the grocery store, the victim of a mugging gone wrong. A few days later we found out that Carpenter had never reported in after the Treehouse. By the time the Iliad docked Davis was dead too, supposedly from a car crash. It had been three weeks since we had recovered the O84, and three of us were dead.

"The Iliad doctors told Richard and I that we couldn't fly with the baby, so we had to drive to the Sandbox. We had been on the road for a week and a half when we got the news that Black had been found, beaten to death. The police report said that he had been found in a crack house in South Chicago. Our superiors thought that he had been looking for his sister and crossed the wrong person. At this point Richard and I knew that we would be next. We also knew that who ever was after us, would be after the baby. We had spent the last four weeks caring for her, growing to love her and never once had we seen any sign of powers or gifts that could cause her to be classified as an O84. Neither one of us could stand the idea of handing her over to be experimented on at the Sandbox. So we made a different plan."

At this point, the pit of dread in Victoria's stomach had grown, almost choking her with its intensity. She had to pause the video for a moment, to get her breathing back under control. She couldn't understand why Linda had done all this. What was it about this child that had caused her friend to turn her back on the life that she worked so hard for? Linda had been as dedicated to her life as a SHIELD agent as Victoria; it was why they got on so well. With another large gulp of her drink, Victoria pressed play on the video once more.

"We dumped all our identification and split up. The plan was to meet up in Austin, Texas a week and a half after we split and disappear. I went to the Triskelion to bury our trail and get the new identities that we needed. Richard wasn't too comfortable with the baby, so I brought her with me. Richard was to organize transport and a series of safe houses to stay in until we decided where we should go. SHIELD held nothing for us anymore; the chances were that if we stayed with SHIELD, we would both end up dead within the week. Everything was going according to plan, but I messed up. Some how, whoever was after us, found me. I barely managed to get out of the apartment that we were staying in before the door came crashing in. The only place I had been all day had been a SHIELD base, and yet they had found us. I knew then, that to protect the baby that I had grown to think of as my own, I would have to give her up. She would never be safe, and growing up on the run is no way for a child to live.

"So I took her to an orphanage and left her there. My pursuers were so close behind me, I didn't have time to drop her off properly or tell the nuns her name. I was forced to leave her in the chapel, with nothing more than the clothes on her back, and the blanket she was wrapped in. I managed to ditch my pursuers long enough to get to a safe house an access a computer. I then remotely accessed the SHIELD server and falsified a clearance level on anything related to the mission. I then buried it so deep in the archives that you'd have to know it was there to be able to find it. Included in this was a protocol that would keep the baby constantly moving around the foster system. She would never stay in a foster home for more than 6 months, and any attempts at adoption would result in the immediate return to the orphanage. Everything was then heavily redacted. That was last night. My plan now is to see if I can't draw out the people chasing me, and end this once and for all. That's why I'm leaving this for you. If I end up dying, someone needs to find her and save her.

"The protocol was never meant to be permanent; it was just a stopgap until the danger could be dealt with. Please Vic. I need you to do what I can't. I need you to find my daughter and keep her safe. She was left at St. Agnes Orphanage in New York City on the evening of June 20, 1989. I don't know what name the nuns will give her, but I call her Skye."


	3. Chapter 3

**12:47pm- June 25, 1989- Victoria's Home Office**

Victoria sat back in her chair, stunned. Almost unconsciously she took another swallow of her drink, the burn in her throat grounding her in the present. What the hell had Linda gotten herself into?

Jumping to her feet, Victoria began to pace around her office, her mind whirling with the implications of what Linda had revealed. Provided that even part of this story was true (and she was inclined to believe it was) then there was a good chance that she could not trust anyone in SHIELD with this information. Two SHIELD teams were dead and yet there had been no alerts sent out, no investigation started. SHIELD had an entire department dedicated to investigating all agent deaths, natural or otherwise, to ensure that agents deaths weren't apart of bigger plots or problems. And yet, there had been no whispers of any sort of investigation.

Needing more information, Victoria turned back to her computer, hoping that she had been wrong, and that the video wasn't the only thing on the drive. Luck was against her however, and she knew that she only had one option left to verify Linda's story. Logging onto the SHIELD servers, she opened up the archived reports and began searching for any mention of the operation in the Hunan Province. After twenty minutes she had found only a single redacted document. The file did seem to reference earlier reports, but she could not find the documents themselves. With a sigh, Victoria sat back in her chair, contemplating what else she could do. That's when it hit her. The protocol that Linda set up. Even if she had hidden it, she should still be able to find it. Especially since she knew that it existed.

She practically dived back into the database, searching for orders tied to the New York Department of Child Services. There were the standard orders about reporting strange occurrences or children with possible powers, but there was also one that she had never seen before. There seemed to be no paperwork tied into it, nor was there an agent listed as a point of contact. She knew that this must be the protocol that Linda set up. Curious, she tried to access the orders and description for the protocol, only to come up short when it requested a password.

Well, a lucky guess worked once before.

Holding her breath, Victoria typed in the password that had unlocked the flash drive, breathing a sigh of relief when it was accepted. She was shocked however when instead of the usual single page explanation with references to supporting documents, she instead found file after file, detailing everything that Linda had revealed in her video message. She skimmed the different files, verifying what they were before moving on to the next one.

Linda must have known that removing this many files from the SHIELD servers would send up a red flag, so instead she had hidden them away under the protocol. The protocol was so innocuous that even if you were staring right at it, you would dismiss it. After all, it was marked as fulfilled and complete. Pulling out an untraceable flash drive, Victoria quickly downloaded everything before encrypting each document with a different password that was nothing more than a random string of characters that not even she could remember. Quickly backing out of the archives, she checked to make sure that there was no trace of her accessing the system before logging out.

She disconnected her laptop from all SHIELD systems she opened up the flash drive, taking the time to study each document in detail. She printed each file as she went, wanting to ensure that she had both a physical and electronic copy of the information. It took her several hours to go through everything, but finally around 2am, she was done.

 _Wait, what?_

Glancing back at the clock she double checked to see that, yes, it was indeed 2am on Monday. She had woken up at 6am on Saturday, gone into work at 8am, was all set to leave at 3am on Sunday before this all happened. Now almost 48 hours since she had last slept, she was feeling the inevitable crash coming her way. Glancing down once more at the bottle of scotch, she tried to remember the last time that she had eaten anything. With a sigh, she realized that it had been much to long, especially since she had been drinking.

Bundling up the printed files, she locked them into her floor safe for the night. The flash drive went into a locked secret compartment in her desk, and the electronically scrubbed laptop went into the wall safe. The memory chip of the printer was shredded before being flushed down the drain with a large amount of bleach. Satisfied that the information was as secure as it could be for the moment, she made her way to the kitchen to throw together a sandwich. After a quick shower she crawled into bed, not bothering to set her alarm. Her boss had told her not to bother coming in until next Monday, Director's orders. When she had protested, he told her that she would have been ordered to take the time regardless, given the amount she had saved up.

Finally, pulling the covers up around her ears she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 **2:13am- June 26, 1989**

Standing outside the apartment building where Victoria Hand slept, a man and a woman watched carefully. Cal and Jiaying had spent the day searching for Richard Lumley, only to lose his trail in the burning wreckage of a small, secluded cabin in Texas. Now they were hoping that the last person to see Linda Avery alive would have some answers for them.

"How do we even know if she was told anything?" Cal bounced on his toes, his hands twitching with nerves and excitement.

"We don't. But she is our best shot. You know what that agent said. Victoria Hand is the person that Linda Avery trusted the most. If anyone can tell us where our Daisy is, or how we might find her, it's Agent Hand."

Jiaying's eyes never left the now dark window of Victoria's apartment. It had been a stroke of luck, stumbling upon the SHIELD medic as he was leaving work. The man that had tried to save Linda's life had proved to be a quite font of information. Between his knowledge of Linda's demise and his access to agent files, it had been simple to track down Agent Hand.

"Now?"

"A little longer my love. We don't want to wake her too soon."

* * *

 **3:47am- June 26, 1989**

After watching the window for an hour and a half, Cal and Jiaying quietly made their way into the building via the fire escape in the alley. They managed to find an unlocked window two floors below Victoria's that allowed them to bypass the security at the front of the building. Silently they slipped their way past the sleeping couple before reaching the front door. Relocking it behind them, the pair took the stairs up to their destination.

Stopping in front of the correct apartment, Cal slid a set of lock picking tools out of his pocket and began to work on the first of the three locks. Within minutes, the final lock was undone, and the two made their way into the darkened apartment. Neither noticed the blinking light on the wall next to the door, nor did they notice the camera filming them from the corner.

Jiaying turned on a small flashlight, lighting up the dust-covered hallway. Obviously Agent Hand had no time for basic chores like dusting or vacuuming, too busy with her work for SHIELD. They would have to be efficient as possible; keeping her too long would certainly raise concerns among her coworkers.

* * *

 **3:56am- June 26, 1989- Victoria's Bedroom**

Victoria awoke suddenly, unsure of the reason. A glance at the clock showed that she had only been asleep for an hour and a half. She had heard something, but she could not figure out what. Slowly, she reached under her pillow and wrapped her hand around the gun underneath. Sliding out of bed, she quietly walked across the immaculate floors, towards the door, straining to hear the sound once again.

There! She could hear something moving about toward the front of her home. She quietly made her way to the monitor that displayed the security feed from the camera in the foyer. But the camera showed nothing. Hearing the sound once more, she made her way to the door. She was not going to stay hiding in her room like a civilian. She was a trained field agent, and she would act like it!

* * *

Jiaying led the way down the hallway, Cal following silently in her footsteps. She stopped suddenly when a floorboard creaked underneath her foot. Holding their breath, the couple waited, anxious to see if their quarry had been alerted to their presence. But no movement came from the room ahead of them. Breathing a sigh of relief, they continued on down the hallway until they stood outside the bedroom door. Gripping the door handle, Jiaying looked back at Cal before turning the handle and opening the door.

* * *

Silently, Victoria eased the door open, sweeping her gun over the empty hallway. Making her way down the hall, she kept her grip on her gun firm, ignoring the voice in her head that urged her to call for back up. Turning the corner, she saw a light shining from the kitchen.

"Put down the gun Hand. It's just me."

With a scowl, Victoria strode into the kitchen, her displeasure written across her face. Sitting at her breakfast bar was Felix Blake, her partner and friend. Blake turned to face her, a smirk written across his face.

"What the hell Blake! You know I could have shot you!"

"The risk is what makes it fun. Besides, you would never shoot without knowing who your target is."

With a sigh, Victoria slumped down into the seat next to Felix, her hand snaking out to steal the glass of whiskey sitting in front of him. When he opened his mouth to protest she just shot him a glare. He had broken into her apartment, and it was _her_ alcohol that he was drinking. Felix wisely shut his mouth, before standing up and fetching another glass for himself.

"Not that I don't love your early morning surprise visits, but what the hell are you doing here Fee?"

"Heard about Linda when I got back to base. Wanted to check on you. And figured that I would crash on your couch, seeing as Jeanne changed the locks on me again."

With a snort of laughter, Victoria shot an amused glance at the pout on her best friend's face. The laughter lasted only a moment before reality set in once more. Should she tell Felix what she had found? She was desperate for a second opinion on everything, but she didn't want to put him in danger. Felix after all, had a wife and two kids at home. And while he and Jeanne had their problems, she knew that they loved each other.

"Vic? Where did you go just then?"

Felix asked, concern written across his face. Victoria was one of the most stoic people he had ever met, rarely letting people see the human that existed under her agent mask. He was one of the lucky few who knew the caring, devious woman that she buried deep inside. She was his sister in all but blood, and he would fight by her side until his dying breath. But judging by the look on her face, he would have to force her to allow him that privilege.

Staring at Felix pensively, Victoria considered a moment longer before opening her mouth to spill the whole sordid story to him. But just as she was about to start explaining, her pager went off, breaking the silence of the kitchen. With a frown, she stood up and crossed to the counter where it sat, glancing down at the small screen.

The message that came across made her stomach drop with fear and anger.

Felix approached her carefully, laying a soothing hand on her shoulder. The last time he had seen that look on her face, three agents had ended up in medical. Not that they didn't deserve it, after posting pictures of Victoria's half-naked girlfriend all over the base. Victoria was possessive about those she cared about, and took any threat or insult against them seriously. More seriously than she took threats or insults against herself.

"Vic? You want to tell me why you look like someone just stole the last cup of coffee from the break room?"

" _Someone_ just broke into mine and Izzy's cover apartment" she spat, stomping off toward her room to change her clothes. With a wince, Felix drained the last of his drink before clipping his gun back onto his belt. That apartment was sacred to Vic, it was the place she kept to prevent others from knowing where she really lived. Victoria would see this break-in as a violation, not only of her privacy, but also of Izzy's security.

"This isn't going to end well."

* * *

As the door swung open to reveal an empty bed, Jiaying let out a roar of rage. _She wasn't there!_ The last possible link to Daisy was gone. Grabbing a small figurine that lay on the table inside the door, she threw it against the wall before storming back down the hallway. Every door she passed was thrown open, as she ransacked the apartment, searching for ghosts that were not there. Cal was just as bad, shredding cushions and mattresses, up-ending tables and toppling cabinets. With a sob, Jiaying fell to her knees, a sense of helplessness overcoming her. Noticing his wife's tears, Cal wrapped his arms around her, trying to sooth her sobs.

"It's alright my love. It's alright. We'll find her." Pressing a small remote, he continued to hold her, until a blue light flashed through the room.

"Take us home Gordon."


	4. Chapter 4

**6:06pm- June 26, 1989-Afterlife- Hunan Province, China**

In a swirl of blue light, the trio landed in Jiaying's study in Afterlife. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Jiaying yanked herself free of Cal's arms, sobs shaking her shoulders. Cal attempted to draw his wife back into his arms, wanting to provide her some level of comfort, only for her to turn away from him.

"Don't touch me!"

Jiaying snarled, anger replacing the look of devastation on her face. Gordon stood in the corner silently, simply observing the couple. He felt a small sense of glee at the growing distance between the husband and wife. Jiaying was special, the leader of the Inhumans, she deserved better than a mere human. Turning his focus to Jiaying herself, he studied her as she paced back and forth. In the six months since her rebirth, he had seen her grow stronger, more resilient. The scars across her face no longer stood out quite so much, and she was able to get through the day without needing to rest now. He knew that the loss of her child haunted her, but she had never faltered in her defense of their people. She was their strength, their protector, and their guide. Now it was time for him to be there for her.

While Gordon contemplated his thoughts, Cal tried pleading with his wife.

"Please my darling! It will be all right. We'll get her back, you'll see. We will be a family again! The three of us."

A vase crashed against the wall over Cal's head.

"No Cal, we won't! We have no idea where she is! We have no idea who has her! We don't even know if she is alive! And it's all your fault!"

Anger lit Jiaying's features, twisting it into a mask that Cal did not recognize.

"If you hadn't left her alone, we would still have her! If you hadn't lost control with that Avery woman, we would have answers! Because of you we lost her!"

"I had to come after you, to save you from that monster. I thought that she would be safe…"

A cynical laugh cut off Cal's pleading. Hatred now shone from Jiaying's eyes, and Gordon watched this new development eagerly.

"Save me? I didn't need you to save me. You are nothing but a mere human: ungifted and weak. You should have let the warriors come for me and stayed at home with Daisy, where you belonged!"

With a sneer, Jiaying turned away from Cal, her arms banded round her torso as if holding herself together. Gordon made his way to her side, ignoring the human who was fighting to compose himself. Gently reaching out, he touched her shoulder, pressing a handkerchief into her hand when she turned toward him. It is while he is comforting the woman he sees as a mother figure that the human regains his power of speech.

"Get away from her!"

Cal snarls, attempting to throw Gordon away from Jiaying. But Gordon does not move beyond a small turn towards Cal. When this fails to get the desired response, Cal responds by throwing a desperate punch at the taller man. Gordon dodges the punch, putting himself more firmly between the irate Cal and Jiaying. With a roar of frustration, Cal launches himself at Gordon once more, only for the teleporter to catch him mid-lunge and restrain him. Cal thrashed violently, but his struggles were in vain. It was as Jiaying had said; Compared to the Inhuman male, he was weak.

"Enough!"

Her tears finally dried, Jiaying stood tall before the pair of squabbling males. Her eyes were lit with a fire that Gordon had not seen since she had begun her courtship with the human doctor. No longer was she the good, gentle wife but now she was once more, the fierce leader that he knew so well.

"I'm sorry Cal, but I cannot do this anymore. Daisy is gone. We must accept that. My duty now is to my people. Unfortunately, as a human, there is no place for you here. You can take a few days to say your goodbyes, but it is time for you to return to your world."

With these final cold words, Jiaying walked from the room, leaving a shocked Cal behind. Once the door closed, Gordon released his prisoner, swiftly crossing the room to follow Jiaying's out the door. As he turned to leave, he glanced back at the broken man that had crumpled to the floor. He felt a small amount of pity for Cal, but more than anything, he was filled with a sense of happiness. Jiaying was back.

* * *

 **5:47am- June 26, 1989- Victoria's Cover Apartment**

Felix leaned against a wall, watching as Victoria picked her way through the mess that was her cover apartment. They had arrived only minutes after a security team from SHIELD, finding the place torn apart. All the drawers had been ripped open and dumped, the cabinets emptied, and the furniture overturned. The forensic team had left about fifteen minutes before, leaving the two friends to deal with the mess. They had managed to recover the tape from the security camera inside the front door, and a few clear fingerprints, so hopefully, who ever had done this would be caught soon.

Victoria stared at the wreck of her apartment. She hadn't lost anything too valuable, given that she only really lived here on paper. She and Izzy used this place to store emergency supplies and to keep SHIELD from knowing where they truly lived. Both women were rather paranoid about their privacy and didn't want SHIELD knowing all aspects of their lives. Of course, those that they were close to—such as their partners, immediate superiors, and close friends—knew where they truly lived.

Judging by the state of the apartment, whoever had done this had been searching for something. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Victoria thought of the flash drive from Linda. If the people who had broken in here were the same ones who had killed Linda and the other agents, then it was likely that she was now in their sights.

"You don't think this is random, do you Vic?"

Felix's voice broke into her train of thought, his eyes watching her shrewdly. Victoria bit her lip for a moment, considering. She had been going to tell Felix everything earlier, in her kitchen, but now she wasn't so sure. They would both be safer if the information stayed between her and Linda. With her mind made up, she decided to tell him at least a partial truth.

"No Fee, I don't. If this was a thief, then why didn't they take anything? Plus, there are certainly easier buildings to break into. Whoever did this was looking for something. Maybe SHIELD files or maybe just information on Izzy and I. But this was definitely a targeted attack. And that means that someone from SHIELD leaked our personnel files."

Felix knew that she had a point. To get into the building you needed to be buzzed in by the desk attendant, have a key to operate the elevator, as well as a separate key for the apartments themselves. The building housed agents from several agencies, not to mention security conscious business executives. He was pretty sure that the US Marshals had at least one witness hidden away here as well. With a sigh, he knew that whatever came next would not be enjoyable for him.

"So what do you want to do now?"

At Victoria's confused look, Felix snorted.

"Come on Vic. You expect me to believe that you don't have at least three different contingencies running through your head right now? I know you."

"I think that it is time to take that transfer that Carter has been offering. Weapons division has an opening that she's been after me to take for a few months now."

Dusting off her hands, Victoria gathered up that last of the salvageable items before walking toward the door. Felix just gaped at her in shock before hurrying after her. He caught up to her at the elevators, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"You…you're running away? What the hell, Vic? You never run away from a fight. Especially when someone is targeting you and yours. What aren't you telling me?"

Dropping her head, Victoria stared at the floor in front of her. Felix was right. She had never run from anything before. But this time was different. After looking at the destruction that had been done to her apartment, she couldn't help but think about all the information that Linda had left for her. The information about all those who had already died trying to protect this secret. She wouldn't be the next one on that list. She couldn't be. If she died, then that little girl would grow up being bounced around the foster system, feeling unloved and unwanted. She had taken a vow to protect others, and by god, she was going to uphold that vow.

"There's… a little girl. A baby really. At an orphanage in New York. A friend asked me to look into her background, see if I could figure out where she came from. There wasn't anything but…"

"But you want her."

Felix was watching her carefully. She knew that she couldn't tell him the truth about everything, but she wanted to stick as close to it as possible. Shrugging, she looked away from his probing gaze.

"I guess so. I didn't realize it until I walked into that apartment and saw it all torn up. All I kept thinking was, 'What if Izzy had been here? What if Skye had?' And after what happened to Linda…"

Victoria paused, her mind flashing back to the bloody scene of the parking garage, and the photos of the dead agents from the file. The break-in had just cemented the reality of this whole mess for her. And maybe it was time to move on. After all, with Izzy gone, it wasn't as if she had anything tying her to The Hill. Sure, there was Felix, but he was due for a transfer soon too. Especially since Jeanne was incredibly unhappy living in the Midwest.

"….it just feels right."

Stepping onto the elevator, she pressed the button for the lobby, feeling as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders, now that she had a clear plan. Felix stepped in beside her, a pensive look on his face. He hadn't known that Victoria had ever wanted kids. She had always been so dedicated to her job, to the agency. It was one of the things that caused Izzy to accept the move to Europe. Still, there was just something about this whole situation that felt off. Like there was something that she wasn't telling him. But he knew that if he pestered her about it, she would just deny it, and shut him out. With a sigh, he realized that there was only one thing that he could do.

"Well then, I'm happy for you Vic. And I'm here for you, whatever you need. So when do I get to meet my new niece?"

* * *

 **7:17am- June 26, 1989- St. Agnes Orphanage- New York City, New York**

A time zone away from where she was being discussed, the baby that Linda Avery had named Skye sighed in her sleep, not knowing that her entire future was about to change.


	5. Chapter 5

**3:17pm- April 14, 1994- The Corner- Rabat, Morocco**

It has been almost five years since Victoria made the decision to adopt the little girl that Linda fought so hard to save. And though it has been hard, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Within a week of Linda's death, Victoria had officially adopted the little girl the nuns had called Mary Sue Poots.

Even after so many years, Victoria still shuddered when she heard that name. What kind of name was Mary Sue Poots? She had almost re-named the little girl Skye, like Linda had planned, but she didn't. Skye was a unique name, and she was unsure if people would draw the connection between Linda's dying ramblings and Victoria's new daughter. So instead, Mary Sue Poots had become Avery Elizabeth Hand. Avery to honor the woman that had died to protect her, and Elizabeth for Victoria's mother who had saved them both from starving many times. No matter how hard she tried, Victoria managed to ruin almost everything that she tried to make. Without Elizabeth, Avery and Victoria would end up living off of take out and microwaved meals.

Elizabeth Hand had been shocked when she heard that her career minded daughter had decided to adopt a little girl. She had never expected to become a grandmother, especially after Victoria and Isabel had split up. In her excitement, Elizabeth had practically moved in with Victoria, determined not to miss a moment of her new granddaughter's life. And six months later, when Victoria was offered the opportunity to run the Moroccan office of SHIELD, Elizabeth had gone along with them. Elizabeth had never had a chance to see much of the world beyond the Midwestern United States, so this was a perfect fit. She got the opportunity to experience different cultures and places while watching her granddaughter grow up. And she no longer had to worry about Victoria starving to death.

The little family of three had been in Morocco for four years now, much to the dismay of the other SHIELD agents. When Victoria had first been given control of the base, it had been one of the worst run offices in SHIELD. Used only for refueling and emergency stops, it had become a dumping ground for agents who were in trouble or on their way to being fired. It had been Victoria's job to change that.

* * *

 _ **December 28, 1989- The Triskelion- Washington D.C.**_

 _Victoria strode through the sterile halls of the Triskelion, a scowl on her face. She had been on vacation with her mother and Avery when she had received the summons to report to SHIELD headquarters. So, leaving her mother and Avery to wander around San Francisco, Victoria had hopped on a transport to DC, her bad mood growing with every mile put between her and her little girl. Arriving at her destination, she looked to the young agent sitting behind the desk in front of her._

" _Go on in Agent Hand. They're expecting you."_

 _With a nod, Victoria took a deep breath and entered the office of Director Peggy Carter, hiding her irritation behind a composed mask._

" _Vicky! So good of you to join us!"_

 _Howard Stark called out from his perch on the edge of Peggy's desk. Victoria merely pursed her lips at the nickname, reminding herself that she could not bark out admonishments to her boss the way she could her subordinates when they deigned to give her a nickname. Luckily, Peggy Carter had no such problem._

" _Do behave yourself, Howard"_

 _Peggy snapped, slapping him across the back of his head. Rolling her eyes, Peggy gave a welcoming smile to one of her favorite agents._

" _Hello Victoria, thank you for joining us on such short notice. I know that you were on vacation."_

 _The next few minutes were spent exchanging general pleasantries and inquiries about the recent holiday. It was only after Victoria glanced at the wall clock for the third time, did Peggy finally relent and start to explain why Victoria had been summoned._

" _As you may have heard, the World Security Council has granted SHIELD some extra money for the budget. The only stipulation is that we must use the money on infrastructure, not missions or R &D. To that end, Howard, Mr. Carson, and I have decided that it is high time that we deal with the mess that is the Moroccan Office. The commander of the base has recently retired, and we want you to take his place." _

_Silence reigned in the office for almost a minute. Victoria could not understand what was going on. She was all for restructuring the Moroccan office- which was so ill run that it didn't even have a base designation- but her?_

" _Director Carter, Mr. Stark, I'm flattered that you considered me, but…"_

" _But you're wondering why we chose you?"_

 _Peggy's crisp British accent did not completely hide the amusement in her voice. She studied the woman in front of her, a small smile on her face. Peggy had watched Victoria since her time in the Academy. While not one of the more flamboyant field agents, she was one of the more dedicated ones. She had what it took to run a SHIELD office or division, even as young as she was. This was the perfect opportunity for her to get her feet wet and gain experience. And given the recent threats against her and the death of her rookie, this would be a fresh start for her._

 _Peggy always took a special interest in the female field agents and specialists. Even in SHIELD, women in the field was uncommon, so the loss of even one was painful. She didn't know what had happened to Linda Avery, but she would do her best to protect Victoria Hand from the same fate._

" _Well Vic, it's simple. No one knows the best way to run a base like you. Out of all the people we talked to the consensus was that if anyone could turn the shithole of "The Corner" around, it was you."_

 _With this brash assessment, Howard offered Victoria a tumbler of scotch before handing one to Peggy as well. It was true. While Victoria may not have been the most widely liked agent, she was one of the most efficient and well respected. If there was anyone that could fix the mess that was "The Corner" it was her. Howard did not fear many people within the agency, it was one of the perks of being the boss, but even he had to admit that Victoria Hand scared him sometimes. She was just like a younger Peg, except she was less willing to put up with his antics. The first time he had treated her like a secretary rather than a field agent, she had ended up rearranging the organizational system of his workshop. And given that he had asked her to deal with the mess in his workshop, he couldn't even reprimand her for it. Ever since then, he had kept an eye on her. She was always very good at making people's lives difficult without breaking or even bending the rules. She knew how to play the politics that came with the job without getting her hands dirty, and she was smart enough to deal with the egg-heads in R &D without resorting to yelling and name-calling. Howard knew that she had the ability to run the agency at some point in the future, and he was going to give her the best chance to do so that he could. If only so she didn't jump ship or try to go around their backs to get what she wanted. _

" _The Corner?"_

" _It's what Jarvis calls the Moroccan office. 'Cause it's where we send agents who need a time-out."_

 _With a small smile, Victoria took a sip of her drink, considering. She couldn't deny that she was excited at the possibility. The chance to run her own base, to build it up the way that it should be. Ideas ran through her head, plans she had come up with while bored becoming more concrete. If this was a serious offer, there was no way she was passing it up. Her mother had always wanted to travel, she was sure that she could convince the older woman to join her and Avery in their move._

" _What would I be expected to do?"_

* * *

By Easter, the small family had moved into a small house in Rabat, only a few minutes from the base. Taking Howard's suggestion, Victoria had officially dubbed the base "The Corner". Officially, it was because the new goal of the base was to become the cornerstone of operations in the area. Unofficially, it was a tribute to the man who had taken a risk on her, giving her the chance to make her mark on SHIELD. She had always worked closer with Howard than Peggy, given that she spent most of her time in the office, rather than the field. She never understood why Howard had taken her under his wing, rather than punish her after her little stunt with his lab, but she wasn't going to question it. The fact that the man had set up a college fund for Avery less than a week after the adoption went through just further endeared the arrogant billionaire to her. Not that she would ever tell him that. His ego was big enough as it was. When word had come of his death she had been crushed. He had been a mentor, and someone that she looked up to, even if she had never expressed it. And with him gone now, she was doubly determined to prove his faith in her right.

It hadn't been easy, whipping the base into shape. It was staffed with agents who had been deemed to be too bitter, too angry, too broken, too wild to be useful anywhere else. At the same time, they were too valuable to let go. Her first order of business was ensuring that the agents understood just what changes would be occurring. She knew that many of the older agents would be resentful of a 27 year old with limited field experience coming in and taking over, and wanted them to understand that she was not pushing them out. She was there to make them better. This may be the island of misfit toys, but that didn't mean that they couldn't become something great.

Now, four years later, the base was a masterpiece. They were responsible for coordinating supplies, compiling data, and keeping the bureaucratic peace in Africa and the Atlantic. Every agent that served in the Corner knew how to handle the massive amounts of paperwork and political glad-handing that came along with being a SHIELD agent.

To the rest of SHIELD, the Corner was a pain to deal with, with the strict adherence to protocols, paperwork, and regulations, filled with agents who had trouble bending the rules. On the inside however, the Corner was a place where agents who thrived on the less active side of duty could find their place. The Corner turned misfit paper-pushing agents into strong capable teams, who understood just how to survive in SHIELD. They may not have anyone over level 5 assigned there long-term, and they may not run many active field-ops, but that didn't matter. They all knew how to work the bureaucratic processes of government agencies and politics to find out any information they needed, no matter what level. They were the spies behind the spies, the ones that made it possible for espionage missions and field-ops to run without going belly up at the first sign of trouble.

* * *

Staring out the window, Victoria looked down at the entrance to the building, watching the various agents come and go, a smile on her face. It had been a long process, but everything was now running the way she wanted. Even after she was gone, this place would continue to run like a well-oiled machine. It would stand for as long as SHIELD did.

A knock on her door drew her attention away from the window. Calling out for the visitor to enter, she saw that it was time for the review of the incoming agents. Every week the Triskelion sent over the profiles of the agents that would be temporarily assigned to the Corner, either due to injury or long-term suspension from fieldwork. It wasn't uncommon for pregnant agents to be assigned to her base until their maternity leave was over, nor was it uncommon for them to receive agents who needed a place to lay low for a while.

"Good afternoon Agent Hand."

"Good afternoon Agent Michaels. How many do we have this week?"

"Only two ma'am. One shouldn't be a problem. Agent G Callen, a new recruit from the CIA. His jacket indicates that he is only here to be trained in the protocol side of SHIELD. Once we deem him proficient in handling SHIELD procedures, he will be reassigned to a joint task force in LA. Hetty Lange recommended him."

Handing over the file with Agent Callen's information, Agent Michaels waited for Victoria to finish looking it over before continuing.

"Agent Peters is up next in the training rotation, but I wouldn't recommend pairing them. By all accounts, Callen is a more boots-on-the-ground type. Peters would probably end up strangling him within a month."

"Agreed. Who would you recommend?"

"Agent Donovan or Agent Dulles. They are both former field agents, so they can relate to any frustration that Callen will be feeling in being removed from fieldwork. Additionally, they are both transfers from other agencies, and can help him deal with the differences between a single government agency and a multi-national one."

"Assign them both for one week. After that, they can decide which one takes him full time. Who else do we have?"

Putting Agent Callen's file aside, Victoria looked up in time to see a look of hesitation cross over her assistant's face. That was never a good sign. Breena Michaels was one of the most composed agents that Victoria had ever met. Hell, she had been trained by Howard Stark's second, Edwin Jarvis, the man was the very definition of unflappable, having to deal with the craziness that was Howard Stark for thirty plus years. Whatever was in the next file was not going to be fun. With a groan, she held her hand out for the information. Glancing at the name, she felt a pool of dread build in her stomach. Agent Clint Barton was being assigned to her base after insubordination in the field. Crap.


	6. Chapter 6

**May 30, 1994- The Corner- Communications Hub**

"Look Fury! I don't care what you have to do, but I want him out of my base!"

Looking at Victoria, one would be hard-pressed to recognize the normally stoic agent. Her hair looked as if she had been running her hands through it non-stop, her suit was rumpled, and her hand kept twitching toward the gun strapped to her waist.

Agent Barton had been assigned to the Corner for the past six weeks, and in that time, he had managed to terrorize every division in the building. The archives had been rearranged by "levels of awesome", every single hallway had been booby-trapped several times over, and the cleaning crew had gone on strike after the third time they found themselves tied to the ceiling. All of that, she could have handled. She knew it was coming as soon as she read why Barton was being sent to her base.

But today was the final straw. Barton had somehow convinced the minders in the nursery that he was told to take over for them and that they had the day off. That left him in charge of 20 children raging in ages of 2 years old to 12 years old. Including her own daughter. He had then taken the children on a scavenger hunt through the base, leading them through mission briefings, the archives, and the mechanical bay before letting them loose in the meeting between Hand and the local government leaders. What was supposed to be a calm lunch to discuss the repairs to the bell tower that Barton had painted a bright pink had ended with several children hyped up on sugar running through the meeting, toppling tables and throwing paint-filled water balloons at all the adults present.

Though she would never admit it, she had been proud to see that Avery had hit every target that she had aimed at. She had also been one of the only children to escape the security teams that had been sent to round them up. They had found her reading quietly in the day-care center, as if she had never left. Only the paint under her fingernails had given her away. The cameras hadn't even caught her in the stampede of destruction.

"I am trying to run a base here Fury! This is not a daycare center for your naughty agents. Either you take him back, or I deliver him to the Triskelion in a box."

The two senior agents glared at each other through the screens, neither backing down. Victoria may have only been Level 5, but she would be damned if she backed down. Barton would be off her base, one way or another. With a smirk, Victoria watched as Fury sighed and broke the stare down first. It was good to know that she could scare the higher ups even across an ocean.

"Fine. I got a job that needs doing in Budapest anyway. I'll send Coulson to get him in the next couple of days."

"Oh no! He is leaving tonight. Give me the location of the safe house in Budapest and Coulson can meet him there. I don't care if it's not standard operating procedure, he is not staying on this base another hour!"

With a chuckle, Fury inspected everything he could see of Victoria. Never had he seen the Ice Queen of SHIELD so unbalanced. It was both entertaining and nerve-wracking. He hadn't expected Hand to last as long as she had before breaking down and demanding that he remove Barton. The truth was, that the whole reason for assigning Barton to the Corner was to assess whether or not Hand could handle the type of craziness that was present at so many other major bases. She had been at the Corner for four years now, and it was about time for her to gain a promotion. Once she had a few more years experience in a major base she would be ready to take over as head of an organization wide department, rather than just an auxiliary base. But if she ever found out that this whole experience had been a test…well, best not to think about that.

"I'll send the coordinates through then. Thank you for keeping him busy."

Once the camera feed turned off, he let out a booming laugh at the twitch he had seen when she registered his parting words. Oh yes, he was most certainly a dead man if she ever found out about this set up.

* * *

 **6:45pm- Hand Home- Suburbs of Rabat**

With a sigh, Victoria happily kicked off her heels at the door before padding into the living room where her daughter was coloring.

"Hey baby."

Dropping a kiss on Avery's head, Victoria settled onto the couch next to the five year old.

"Hi Mama!"

Avery chirped, giving a wide smile before turning back to her drawing. Picking up a purple crayon, she proceeded to color in a picture depicting a tall man with a bow leading a group of children toward a pile of sweets. Avery loved it when Agent Barton came to the daycare. He was much more fun than Miss Anne and Miss Talia who normally watched them. Not that she would ever tell her mama that. For some reason whenever Avery mentioned Mr. Clint, Mama got a pinched look on her face, and her eye started twitching. Grandma said that it was just grown-up business and that she shouldn't worry about it. That Mama and Mr. Clint just liked to tease each other too much.

"Where's Grandma, Avery?"

"In the kitchen, dear!"

The answer was called out before a small woman came bustling out, wiping her hands on the flowery apron around her waist. Victoria had taken after her father in build at 6'1", while her mother barely topped 5'4". But what Elizabeth Hand lacked in height, she made up in sheer willpower. She had raised her daughter as a single mother after her husband's death and took no prisoners when it came to her family. It was from her that Victoria learned how to survive in the male-dominated world of SHIELD. Fury's glare had nothing on her mother's .

"Hi Mom."

Victoria stood up to give her mom a brief hug in greeting before accepting the glass of whiskey that Elizabeth held out to her. Avery must have told her about the adventure she had in daycare today.

"Is Clinton still breathing?"

Victoria's only answer was a grimace as she took a sip of her drink. After tonight, she wouldn't have to worry about Clint Barton destroying her base anymore. If she was really lucky, she wouldn't have to work with him for at least a year. With a chuckle, Elizabeth made her way into the kitchen to finish making dinner. Just as Victoria was debating whether or not to get another drink or change into more comfortable clothes, there was a knock at the door. With a sigh, she made her way to the door, peeking through the small window before opening the door with a groan.

"What do you want Barton?"

She snapped, wishing that she had made good on her threat to have him delivered to the Triskelion hog-tied to the wings of a jet. At least then, he wouldn't be standing on her front porch right now.

"Vicky! I'm hurt. It's almost as if you aren't glad to see me!"

"I'm not. And don't call me Vicky. Now what do you want?"

"Victoria! Don't be rude. I invited Clinton to join us for dinner!"

Elizabeth smacked Victoria's arm before pushing her out of the doorway to allow the archer entry. With a smirk, Barton gave Elizabeth a hug, before presenting her with a bottle of wine.

"Thanks for the invite Mama Hand. Not sure when the next time I'll get a home-cooked meal will be."

The group of three made their way to the kitchen, Elizabeth and Barton chatting while Victoria followed, a scowl on her face. How her mother had become friends with one of the most annoying agents she had ever met was beyond Victoria. Of course Elizabeth would never tell. She had just dragged Clint to dinner one night, about a week after his arrival at the Corner, and that was that. He was a member of the family, especially after Avery had taken a shine to him. Not that it made working with him any easier.

"Of course Clint! You must be excited to get back into the field! Budapest right?"

With a sly smirk, Elizabeth showed once more that there was nothing that could be hidden from her when it came to her children. And she did consider the archer her child. He just hadn't figured that out quite yet. He would though. Next time he got hurt, Elizabeth would fuss to her heart's content before starting in on a lecture about using the brain that God gave him. That would be enjoyable to watch.

"Mr. Clint!"

A shriek of joy preceded the small projectile known as Avery as she threw herself at Clint's legs.

"Hey squirt. Good to see you!"

"What are you doing here Mr. Clint?"

"Well squirt, I wanted to have dinner with you all before I left. I have a job to do, so I won't be around for a while."

As she watched Barton talk with her daughter, Victoria couldn't help but feel a little bit of affection for the annoying archer. Underneath all the jokes and lack of respect, he was a good guy. She would go so far as to consider him as family, if only because of her daughter and mother, not that she would ever admit it. He was the annoying little brother that she never really wanted but somehow got stuck with. But he didn't need to know that.

"You're leaving?"

Avery's voice quivered, not liking the idea that her favorite agent wasn't going to be around all the time.

"Yeah squirt. Got to go help save the world. But don't worry. We'll still see each other. I'll call when I can and bring you treats when we see each other."

* * *

Dinner that night was quieter than normal. Avery was sad that Clint was leaving, and for all her annoyance at the archer, Victoria was worried about his next mission. Didn't mean that she wanted him on her base any longer than necessary though. She might end up killing him, and that would upset her mother. No, it was best that he was leaving.

After all the dishes were done, and Avery had been tucked into bed with promises of emails and visits from Clint, the three adults sat around the living room saying their own goodbyes.

After a long hug and a promise to stay safe from Elizabeth, it was just Victoria and Clint left, both sipping on their respective drinks. Deciding that she was buzzed enough to get away with being sentimental, Victoria sighed and turned to the other agent.

"Look, Clint. I know that we don't get along very well at work, but I do like you. So just, call if you need help. I'll do what I can. Whether you realize it or not, Mom has declared you apart of the family. And we take care of our own. So, stay safe, yeah?"

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat at Victoria's speech he nodded, keeping his eyes focused on a point across the room.

'Thanks Vic. Glad to know that Mama Hand and Squirt aren't the only ones who'd miss me if I got hurt. Same goes for you, you know? If you ever need anything…"

Victoria nodded and both drifted off into silence, comfortable just sitting there. Clint would never had thought that when he had taken this assignment that he'd end up growing to like Victoria Hand. Sure, he respected her as an agent, especially after how she'd held it together after her rookie was killed, but liking her as a person had never been something he considered. But after six weeks of getting to know her outside of work, he found that underneath all the protocol and regulations, Vic had a wicked sense of humor and an undying loyalty to her people that he could appreciate.

Somewhere along the way, she had grown into the exasperated older sibling that he loved to annoy. And yeah, she may have thrown him off her base, but it wasn't done out of anger or hate. It was simply an acknowledgement that they would end up destroying the base if they stayed in close quarters for too much longer. To be honest, if she hadn't kicked him off, he would have requested a transfer. He just wasn't cut out for the bureaucratic part of SHIELD. He was a specialist, he needed action and adrenaline, not investigations and procedures.

After saying goodbye to Victoria, Clint made his way to his SHIELD issued apartment. His transport would be leaving first thing in the morning, and he would finally be back in the field. He wondered idly how Coulson would react to the number of reports he was sure that Hand had filed on his behavior in the last six weeks. He could almost see the vein throbbing in his forehead now.

Reaching into his pockets, he found a slip of paper hidden there, along with his keys. Printed on it was a four-digit code and coordinates for somewhere near Budapest. Written below that was a note that said, _"Just in case. -V"_

* * *

 **June 2, 1994- Budapest, Hungary**

Clint fired off an arrow before ducking under the swing of a black-clad thug that had snuck up behind him. A grunt alerted him that his partner had taken down another opponent that had gotten too close. This mission was definitely FUBAR. He had been sent in to eliminate a mercenary that had been causing trouble in the area, only to end up recruiting her. And now, they were both fighting for their lives against a group that wanted his new partner dead.

A quick glance showed that they were free of opponents for now so grabbing his partner's arm he began to drag her through the city. The SHIELD safe house was out, but Vic's should be safe.

It took them an hour and another three fights before they made it to their destination. They hadn't even been in the house for five minutes before the phone rang. With a wince, he had a feeling that he knew who it was. Motioning for his partner to finish securing the place, he picked up the phone but did not say anything. He could hear the grinding of teeth on the other end of the line, and could imagine just how tight Victoria's jaw was at the moment. Finally, a sigh broke the silence before she asked,

"Are you okay?"

"I'm good. We're good. Just a few scrapes. I'll probably need some stitches, but those can wait."

"Good. And the redhead?"

"Name's Natalia Romanova. I was supposed to eliminate her, but you know me. I made a different call. I was actually hoping that you might be willing to get a head start on calming down Fury for me?"

This last part was said in a wheedling tone, as he watched Natalia make her way back into the room, a first aid kit in hand. Silence reigned on the line once more as Victoria processed the bombshell that he had just dropped on her. He could see her now, standing at the window in her office, glasses pushed to the top of her head, one hand holding the phone while the other pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to stave off a headache.

"You owe me one."

With that, they hung up. Clint smiled as he took the first aid supplies from his partner.

"Well that was easier than I thought it was going to be."

Back in her office, Victoria rolled her shoulders to remove the tightness and considered her options. There was no way that she was leaving Clint to fight Fury on his own, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to make him suffer for putting her in this position. With a devious smile, she once more opened up her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hi Mom…."


	7. Chapter 7

**June 4, 1994- The Triskelion- Medical Center**

Clint lay quietly on the hospital bed, trying to appear as though he was sleeping. If he had any chance of escaping from here, he needed to make sure that the nurses weren't paying attention to him. If there was one thing he hated, it was being stuck in medical. He wasn't even that hurt! Natalia had done a fine job in patching up the slice on his back, and he hadn't even broken a rib this time! And yet, he had still been ordered to stay in medical for the night. Something about making sure that he was in his right mind.

Okay, yes, bringing home a trained assassin against orders might normally be a bit concerning, but it wasn't as if she drugged him or anything. He just wanted to give her a chance, the same chance that Coulson and May had given him.

Once he was sure that the nurses were no longer paying attention to him, he eased himself carefully off the bed. Wincing at the pain in his ribs (not broken didn't mean not bruised) he made his way over to the air vent in the corner of the room. Balancing carefully on the visitor's chair, he removed the cover of the vent and held it between his knees. Just as he was about to lift himself up and thus complete his escape, he heard a cough behind him.

Turning slowly, he came face to face with an unimpressed looking Elizabeth Hand.

"And just where do you think you are going young man?"

He knew calling Vic had been a bad idea.

* * *

 **The Triskelion- Interrogation Room**

Victoria stood behind the two-way mirror, studying the woman her pseudo-brother had put his career on the line for. Natalia Romanova was a stunning woman, with her pale skin and deep red hair. But she was also a dangerous one. On the flight over from Morocco, Victoria had read everything that SHIELD had on the so-called "Black Widow". If even half of the file was correct, then she could understand why SHIELD had deemed her too big of a threat to remain alive. And yet, she could also understand Clint's reluctance to eliminating her.

By all accounts, the Black Widow had been a slave to various cruel masters over her life. She had been trained from the cradle to be a killing machine. It was the only life that she knew. It was no surprise that when she was free it was those skills that she fell back on. And to be fair, for every job she took, she also freely eliminated someone who preyed on the weak and innocent.

"Well? What do you think?"

Fury's voice interrupted Victoria's thoughts, dragging her back into the present. She considered her answer for a moment before answering. As much as she wanted to help Clint and his stray, she also had to think of what would be best for SHIELD. And the truth was, that hiring those whose only loyalty was to the highest bidder was a dangerous practice. Just look at what had happened with Izzy. As soon as another agency promised her more money, more autonomy, better hours, she had jumped ship. No matter the fact that she and Victoria had been building a life together, that SHIELD had done everything it could to turn her into more than just a hired gun. In the end, those who worked for themselves could not be trusted. And yet…

"I think…that Barton made the right call."

Fury's raised eyebrow practically ordered her to explain herself.

"Yes she is dangerous, but we've hired dangerous people before. So long as we keep a close eye on her and work to earn her loyalty, then she could be an asset. She has contacts that we don't, skills and training that we ethically can't give to our own agents, and a desire to prove herself to be more than what the Red Room made her to be."

Fury studied her for a moment, before turning to watch the glass again. Inside the interrogation room, Romanova sat unmoving, simply staring at the glass as if she could see them behind it.

"Agent May said the same thing."

Suppressing a snort, Victoria kept her face bland and composed. She should have known that this was a test. Fury was trying to see if she could put her personal feelings about mercenaries and assassins aside for the greater good of the agency. The minute that his golden girl May had vouched for Romanova, there would have been no question about keeping her.

"And if I had disagreed? Told you that we needed to finish the job that Barton started?"

Fury studied her for a moment, as if sensing that his answer could affect the future of their working relationship.

"I knew that you'd always do what was best for SHIELD."

It was a cop-out, one that they both recognized. But Victoria also recognized the complications her question had posed. She may never trust Fury the way that she trusted Howard and Peggy, but she knew that she would follow him. If only to help keep SHIELD on the right path.

* * *

 **Medical Wing**

Elizabeth stared at Clint, with a small smile on her face. He honestly looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. When she raised her eyebrow at him, he took the cover from between his knees, and dropped back down to the floor. After putting the cover down on the chair, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Hi, Mama Hand! What are you doing here? How are you here?"

Marching over to him, Elizabeth gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek before stepping back and inspecting him from head to toe. Once she was satisfied that he was in semi-good condition she reached up and smacked him on the back of the head.

"What do you think you are doing out of bed, Clinton Francis Barton? And just what do you think you were doing with that air vent? I know you weren't thinking of sneaking out of here."

Imperiously, she pointed her finger and watched as he slunk back to the bed. Once he was lying down, she plumped the pillows behind his head and smoothed down the blankets.

"Where else would I be when you are hurt, Clinton? And as for how I got here, Victoria was kind enough to bring Avery and I along when Fury asked her to come. It is amazing just how quickly those SHIELD planes can go. I don't think I'll be able to enjoy commercial flights after this."

Clint just laid back and let her chatter wash over him. This was a strange new experience for him, having someone fuss over him and care if he got hurt. Oh, he knew that Coulson cared when he was injured, but he cared because it was apart of his job. Elizabeth cared because she cared about Clint as a person, not an agent. Maybe this whole family thing wasn't so bad.

* * *

 **December 25, 1994- The Hand Family Farm- Outside of Burlington, Iowa- 7:30am**

In the six months since Natasha had started working for SHIELD, she had never been allowed off base without either Agent May or Agent Coulson with her. Except for today. Clint had woken her up at an ungodly hour and dragged her into the car with little explanation. He was just lucky that she was still on probation, and thus not allowed to keep weapons in her room. ("Real" weapons at least. She had still managed to fashion weapons out of several "safe" items, should any SHIELD agent disagree with giving her a second chance.) They had been in the car now for almost four hours, surrounded by nothing but flat lands and fields. She had thought that The Hill had been in the middle of nowhere, but this took the cake. She hadn't seen anything more than an isolated farmhouse for the past hour and a half. Finally fed up with being in the dark, she turned her attention to the archer in the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Don't worry. I promise you'll love it."

"You know I'm not supposed to be out without May or Coulson."

"May and Fury both cleared this. Pending a positive outcome today, you will no longer be on probation. Besides, it's Christmas! You can't be locked up in that boring old base by yourself on Christmas!"

With that, Clint pulled the car into the driveway of a pleasant looking little farmhouse. The ground was covered by snow that showed tracks of people going to and from the barn, as well as to the hill to the right. Judging from the sled laying at the bottom of the hill, there was a child here. Had Clint brought her home for Christmas? With a look of panic on her face, she whipped around to face Clint. She did not do kids! Or families! Or holidays! Before she could even say a word, Clint was holding up a hand to stop her.

"Look Nat, I know that you don't do the whole "normal" thing very well. And that's okay. That's what makes you a kick-ass partner. But just because you've never had normal, doesn't mean that you don't deserve it. So please, come inside and meet my family. Stay through lunchtime. If by that point you are still uncomfortable and want to leave, you can take the car and go. No judgments, no effect on your probation. The only thing that you really need to do to pass probation at this point is not kill or attempt to kill the people in that house."

"I can leave when I want?"

"So long as you stay for at least one hour, then yes, you can leave when you want."

With that said, Clint got out of the car and made his way into the house. It did not escape her notice that he had left the keys in the ignition. Or that he had turned his back to her so easily. Everyone else at the agency refused to turn their backs to her, scared that she would attack them. No matter the fact that she was trying, working to erase all the red in her ledger, most still viewed her as a monster. But not Clint.

Natasha considered this for a moment. Clint had put a lot on the line for her. He believed in her, in a way that no one ever had before. Though she would never admit it, she was coming to trust the goofy archer. So, for him, as a Christmas present, she would go in there and meet his family. And try not to kill them. With that thought in mind, she tucked all but one knife into the glove compartment of the car before climbing out of the car.

* * *

With a smile, Victoria stared at the sleeping form of her daughter. For all the horror stories of children waking up ungodly early on Christmas morning, Victoria had never had to experience that. Avery slept like the dead, no matter what day of the year it was. A glance at the clock showed that it was just about 7:30, meaning she had enough time to get a cup of coffee before waking up Avery for presents.

Hearing movement in the kitchen, she crept inside to see her mother rolling out dough on the counter. The sight brought back memories of her own childhood, waking up on Christmas to her mom making cinnamon rolls, her dad reading the paper. No matter how early she awoke, those two were always up before her.

"Good morning darling."

Elizabeth called out, not even turning to look at the door her back was to. Victoria would never know how her mother managed to out sneak the spies at every turn. Even Clint could not sneak up on her, and he was damn quiet when he wanted to be. Making her way forward, she dropped a kiss to her mother's cheek before grabbing a cup of coffee.

"Morning Mom. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Victoria. And where is my adorable granddaughter this morning? I would have thought that she would be tearing down the walls in her excitement. It was certainly hard enough to convince her to go to bed last night."

Snorting, Victoria could only agree.

"I know. But it seems even her excitement over Santa Claus couldn't force her to wake up early this morning. I dread thinking about what she'll be like as a teenager if she's this hard to wake now."

Elizabeth chuckled, and the two women settled into a comfortable silence. The only sound in the kitchen was the _thunk_ of the stone rolling pin as Elizabeth stretched out the dough. The silence was broken by the sound of a car turning down the gravel drive. Instantly on her feet, Victoria peered out the window. Rationally, she knew that the only people who could find this place were the ones who knew about it, but she was still cautious. The scene of her torn apart cover apartment and the unanswered questions about Linda's death still haunted her some days. Recognizing the car as SHIELD issued she relaxed. It looks like Clint had finally arrived. And with Felix sleeping upstairs, it looked like she would have her whole family with her for Christmas this year.

Felix and Jeanne had finally gotten a divorce three years before. Jeanne had taken Felix for almost everything, including his kids. He was allowed to call them and see them on weekends, but he wasn't allowed to have them overnight, nor was he given the okay to visit them on the holidays. It hadn't been like that at first. Originally after the divorce, Felix had been given joint custody, able to have his kids on weekends and holidays. But then a mission had gone wrong and Felix fell into the bottle. Hard.

He had lost his family, an agent, an innocent bystander, and was put on administrative leave pending investigation, all within a six weeks. And she had been half a world away, unable to be more than just a voice on the phone. Coulson and Sitwell had tried, but they didn't understand Felix the way that she did. They had trying being supportive and cheering him up, but Felix didn't respond to someone cheering him up. What he needed was someone to remind him to get his head in the game. Someone to tell him to just keep moving forward. Things had been getting better, he was able to go into the field again, he wasn't drinking until he passed out every night, but then his kids had walked in on one of his one-night stands, half dressed on the couch. Jeanne had not been pleased. She had been able to use the incident as well as the facts of Felix's job to strip him of most of his custody rights. So now, he was spending Christmas with her, Elizabeth, Avery, and Clint. It wasn't what he wanted, but she hoped it would be enough to show him that he still had people that cared about him.

Clint and Felix often butted heads she knew, but they also respected each other. With Elizabeth often forcing them to play nice at family gatherings, they had come to view each other as friends, often bonding over activities with Avery. They would each use the little girl to play small pranks or jokes on the other, making it a bit of a competition. They both wanted to be the favorite uncle.

Victoria was shocked out of her thoughts about her patchwork family when she saw Natasha Romanov (as she had changed her name to) climb out of the car, as Clint opened up the front door. Raising an eyebrow, she tilted her head toward the window.

"Did you forget to mention something?"

"It's Christmas. No one should be alone on Christmas. Besides, if I had asked, there was a chance you would have said no."

With a cheeky smile, Clint danced out of reach and made his way into the kitchen, following the smell of rising dough. Victoria just sighed and mentally cursed little brothers who thought they were funny. Christmas dinner with the Black Widow. This ought to be interesting.


	8. Chapter 8

**December 25, 1994 – The Hand Family Farm: Outside of Burlington, Iowa**

Natasha paused just inside the doorway of the house, studying everything around her. It looked like every magazine ad that she'd ever seen of the "All-American" home. Family photos lined the walls, a pile of shoes lay near the door, the furniture was nice, but obviously used. All that was missing was the dog on the rug in front of the fireplace and the scent of apple pie in the air.

Still debating on whether or she should stay or go, Natasha had turned around and was almost out the door when she heard someone come up behind her. Spinning around, she grasped the knife in her pocket. Clint's family or not, she wasn't dropping her guard for anything.

"If you're going to stay, you should shut the door."

Victoria Hand was leaning on the banister of the staircase, peering at her over the rims of her glasses. Raising an eyebrow at the stoic look on the former assassin's face, Victoria took a sip of the coffee in her hand. Natasha stared at the agent, confused at her presence and attitude.

"You are Clint's family?"

Slipping the knife back into her pocket, she forced herself to relax. Or appear to relax. She had heard about Agent Hand's attitude toward mercenaries and assassins. She may be Clint's sister, but she wouldn't take any attitude about her former life from her. Even if it blew her chance with SHIELD.

Smirking, Hand took another sip of coffee before looking pointedly at the still open door. He message was clear. If she wanted answers, she'd have to come inside. She'd have to commit to doing this whole holiday thing. Deciding that her curiosity outweighed her desire to flee, at least momentarily, Natasha deliberately stepped across the threshold and closed the door behind her.

"Legally and biologically? No. But my mother has unofficially adopted him, as has my daughter. So now he's like my annoying little brother. Emphasis on annoying. Kudos to you by the way, for putting up with him long term."

Now more confused than ever, Natasha followed Victoria into the kitchen, surprised that the older woman had turned her back so easily. And that she had admitted to having a daughter. What a weakness to reveal to someone that you did not wholly trust.

"How do you take your coffee?"

The blunt question startled Natasha out of her thoughts. Frowning, she saw Victoria holding up a pot of coffee, as Clint was being fussed over by an older woman.

"What?"

Rolling her eyes, Victoria started to prep another cup of coffee with little input.

"I know Clint. He got you up at some ungodly hour, threw you in the car, and started driving. No stops for food or coffee. So, how do you take your coffee?"

"…Black, two sugars….Thank you."

Natasha watched Victoria like a hawk as she prepped an extra-large cup of the caffeine filled drink. Normally, she wouldn't allow others to prepare her food or drink, but she didn't want to be rude. She would simply pretend to drink the beverage, and then find some way to dispose of it before getting herself a cup that she had prepared herself.

Satisfied with her plan, she reached out to accept the cup from Agent Hand before pausing in shock. Before handing the cup over to her, Hand had taken a sip of her drink. A very obvious sip.

Looking her straight in the eye, Victoria said,

"It'll keep for a few minutes if you want to watch for any reactions."

With that statement, Victoria turned away from the stunned spy toward the sound of running feet.

"MAMA! MAMA! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Staring down at the cup of coffee in her hand, Natasha wondered if maybe this wouldn't be such a horrible experience after all.

* * *

Following his nose to the kitchen, Clint left Victoria standing by the window, watching Natasha. Those two would work themselves out he knew. He just needed to make sure that Elizabeth didn't overwhelm her. Vic's mistrust and Agent façade she could handle. But Natasha had never had anyone like Elizabeth Hand in her life.

"Mama Hand!"

Throwing his arms around the smaller woman, Clint inhaled the scent of cinnamon, lavender, and honey that she always seemed to smell of. Smiling, he felt her twist around in his arms to throw her arms around him.

"Clint! You made it! Oh, Avery will be so excited, she was worried you know. She even left a note for Santa asking him to make sure that Uncle Clint arrived in time for Christmas. Now, let me look at you."

Pushing him back gently, she inspected him from head to toe, taking in every little detail. Satisfied that he had no new injuries and was in decent health, even if he had lost weight (honestly, what did they feed the agents on these bases? She'd have to send him home with plenty of frozen meals and leftovers, and feed him up a lot while he was here) she smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. It was only then that she noticed that a second person had slipped into the room behind Victoria. Raising her eyes at her adopted son, she turned to go welcome the girl, only to have her arm caught by Clint.

"Give her a second Mama Hand. Nat's not used to this sort of thing."

"This sort of thing?"

The confusion was evident in Elizabeth's voice. She had only been going to say hello to the girl.

"Family. Holidays. Normal people. She grew up worse than I did, and you know how I was when you first started pulling me into the family. Just…be gentle. Okay?"

Clint's eyes never left Elizabeth's as he was explaining. He looked so earnest, and so worried about this girl that she wondered for a second, just what was between them. Glancing over at the girl once more, she gave a slow nod of her head, just as she heard her granddaughter come pounding down the stairs.

"Alright Clint."

* * *

Felix was sound asleep, tightly wrapped up in the covers of his bed, when he was rudely awakened by a knee to his stomach and an elbow to his sternum.

"WAKE UP UNCLE FELIX! IT'S CHRISTMAS! COME ON, COME ON, COME ON!"

Groaning, Felix considered tossing the demonic child he called a god-daughter off the bed onto the cold floor, and rolling over and going back to sleep. But then she would scream and cry, and Vic would pound him into the training mats for daring to cause injury to her precious little girl. Deciding that giving in to the child's incessant cheering was the easier (and less painful) path, he peeled open one of his eyes, only to have it met with the sharp pain that came with Avery shoving her finger into it. Choking back a curse, he turned away, blinking slowly to stop the watering, saying

"I'm up kiddo. Why don't you go wake up Mommy and Grandma?"

"They're already up silly! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Groaning, as her joyful shouts of glee threatened to rupture his eardrums, Felix rolled himself out of bed, ignoring the bouncing child that was now waiting by the door. Grumbling, he shoved his feet into his slippers and slowly made his way over to the door. As soon as she was satisfied that her uncle was indeed up and moving, Avery took off down the hallway, as fast as her short little legs could carry her, never noticing that the door she flung open in her haste had caught Felix across the forehead. Swearing under his breath, he seriously considered just crawling back in bed, only to panic when he heard the sounds of Avery running back towards him. Who knows what she would hurt next, if he was vulnerable in bed. Pasting a bright smile on his face, he walked forward, only to twist his ankle when his slipper was caught on the edge of the rug. Kicking off the offending footwear, he continued on in only his socks, now very desperate for a very large cup of Irish coffee.

He just prayed that Victoria hadn't drunk it all by the time he got downstairs. There was no way he was going to be able to handle Avery's level of energy without it. He'd end up need medical attention! Making his way downstairs, he perked up a bit at the smell of cinnamon and coffee that wafted from the kitchen. Utterly entranced by the scent of the brew that was his main addiction, he almost didn't notice the red-head standing by the counter, staring between Victoria and the cup of coffee in her hand, utterly confused. He went to pull himself up short, only to find that his feet were still moving. With a thud, Felix landed on his back and slid into the middle of the kitchen, only stopping when his side met the edge of the built-in cabinets. He found himself staring up into the amused eyes of Natasha Romanov. This was not his morning.

* * *

The sight of Agent Felix Blake sliding across the floor like an ice skater, only to land at her feet was enough to knock Natasha out of her contemplation of Agent Hand and the coffee. Whether it was because of his presence in the house, or his accident, she wasn't entirely sure. But at least she wasn't the only one being thrown off her game. She had never seen the stoic agent be anything less than composed, the few times that she had seen him. He had been one of the agents assigned to assess her skills when Fury had accepted her into SHIELD. He was usually very well put together and unflinching. No matter what she had shown him and the other agents, he was one of the only ones that had looked utterly bored the entire time. To see him now, looking so rumpled, made her feel a little bit better.

"Oh my, Felix, are you alright?"

The motherly looking woman that had been fussing over Clint came bustling over, and helped Felix up off the floor.

"You poor dear. Why are you walking around in just socks? You know how slippery these floors can be. Now you just sit right on down, and let me fix you up a cup of coffee."

The man just groaned, and let himself be led over to the breakfast bar, slumping pathetically onto a stool, his head coming to rest against his folded arms.

"Mama, Mama, look, Uncle Felix is up! Can we have presents now?"

Natasha turned her eyes to the hyper active child that was now bouncing in front of Agent Hand like a small puppy. The girl looked to be about 5 or 6, with long dark hair and big brown eyes. Her mixed heritage was obvious, and Natasha assumed that it came from her father, as Hand was a very obvious WASP. The existence of the child shocked her more than her appearance, if she was being honest. She had never pegged Agent Hand to be the maternal type. Or the type to let anything distract her from her job. Sure she had mentioned a daughter earlier, but she assumed that she was a bit more hands off with the child.

"After breakfast baby. You haven't even said "hi" to Uncle Clint and his guest yet."

The child's head whipped around so fast, Natasha was surprised that she didn't hear a crack from her spine. A bright smile lit up her tiny face.

"UNCLE CLINT!"

The girl's scream of joy caused Agent Blake to give another piteous groan as he tried to drown himself in his very large cup of coffee.

"Too loud kiddo."

Clint and the girl just laughed at Blake as the child was swept up in the archer's arms, babbling away about Santa, Christmas wishes, and vegetables.

"You going to drink that?"

The groggy voice of Agent Blake pulled her from her observance of the pair of excited children (and yes, in this case, Clint was most definitely a child) to stare at the older man whose eyes were glued to her undrunk coffee cup. Smirking, she handed it off to the man without a word. At least it solved her dilemma of whether or not to trust the drink that was made by someone else. And he honestly looked like he needed it more than her.

A quick glance at Agent Hand showed that she was simply amused by the by-play between Natasha and Blake. When she caught Natasha's eye, she even gave a small toast with her own mug of coffee.

"Clinton, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

The small, older woman had gone back to rolling out some sort of pastry dough, watching over the antics of her family like a ruling matriarch. Nodding his head, the archer came up and wrapped one arm around Natasha's shoulders, his other one full of the excited child.

"Mama Hand, this is my partner, Natasha Romanoff. Tasha, this is Mama Hand, you know Vic and Felix, and this little monkey is Avery."

"Lovely to meet you dearie. Please feel free to call me Ellie or Mama Hand, like Clint does. So glad that you could join us for the holiday! You wouldn't, by chance be any good at cooking?"

Studying the smaller woman in front of her, Natasha could tell that she was refraining from approaching her. The look in her eyes was one that she hadn't seen before, but for some reason it didn't put her on edge. It was almost as if the older woman was studying her and unhappy with what she saw. But rather than that resulting in disapproval, it was resulting in this look. A quick glance to Clint reassured her that the older woman wasn't a threat, so Natasha pushed down her unease to answer.

"If I have a recipe to follow, then yes, I can cook. I'd be happy to help if you like."

"Excellent! Between you, Felix, and myself we should be in good shape for dinner tonight. Heavens knows that my children would burn down my kitchen if I let them near any form of cooking!"

"Hey!"

"Mama Hand!"

Victoria and Clint both gave their own protests to their mother's assessment of their skills. Felix just smirked and finished off his second cup of coffee. Natasha was shocked that neither Blake nor Hand offered any protest to her involvement in the preparation of their meals. At least she could be assured of the integrity of the food that she would be eating tonight.

"Oh, none of that. You both know that you would starve if it wasn't for the invention of take-away and microwave meals. Now, everyone to the kitchen table. Breakfast is served."

Natasha allowed herself to be herded to the table, where she found herself sitting between Clint and Avery, who chatted her ear off the entire meal, asking about her favorite things, where she was from, and strangely, her favorite type of blade. This was definitely the child of a SHIELD agent.

* * *

Several hours later, the adults all sat relaxed in the living room, sipping at hot cider and eggnog as Avery played on the ground with one of her new toys. The day had gone better than Natasha had anticipated after discovering whose home she was at. Victoria and Felix hadn't made anything out of the fact that Clint had brought her along, and Ellie had managed to restrain her desire to mother Natasha to death, while still being warm and welcoming.

"Not such a bad day, huh?"

Clint nudged her side, his head tipped back to rest on the back of the couch. With a small smile, she shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. But on the inside, she had to think that this had been one her best days since the Red Room.

"Tasha help! The 'puter won't work!"

Avery's panicked wail broke the comfortable silence of the room. Glancing about, Natasha wondered if she should answer the summons or allow one of Avery's family members to help.

"You heard her Tasha. Help her with the computer."

Clint urged, his eyes daring her to say no. Victoria grinned at her from across the room, her eyes glinting with merriment before turning back to her mother. The idea that this woman, who didn't know her beyond her dangerous reputation trusted her to be close to her young daughter was somewhat baffling. With another nudge from Clint, Natasha unwound herself from the couch and made her way to the floor, a small glow burning in her chest as Avery climbed into her lap to demonstrate what was wrong with her toy.


	9. Chapter 9

**July 7, 1996 – The Treehouse – Somewhere in South America – Victoria's Office**

"I don't care if you _think_ that it's safe, I am not running the risk of you blowing up the rain forest or turning it sentient. We are a SECRET agency, if you significantly alter a large portion of the rain forest trying to prove your theory, the secret part goes flying out the window. Now until you can prove to me that you have more sense than a lemming running at the back of the pack I don't want to hear another word about this!"

Victoria glared at the pouting scientist that was sulking in one of her office chairs. When Fury had placed her in charge of the Treehouse's Research and Development team 18 months ago, she thought he had been desperate. Her background was in Accounting and Organizational Management, not any form of science. She now had confirmation that she was right.

While the Hub was the center of research into Weapons and Field Equipment, and the Triskelion was a Techies and Snoop's Paradise, the Treehouse was more along the lines of a Science Fiction Novel. Much like the Corner had been the dumping ground for agents who couldn't be let go and couldn't be in the field, the Treehouse housed the scientists that some people might call "Aspiring Super Villains". Victoria just called them pains in the ass.

The scientists posted here seemed to be missing a great deal of common sense and self-control. If they came up with an idea they wanted to test, they tested it. Regardless if the tests and ideas were moronic, suicidal, or just plain stupid. Dr. Jason Woodrue had been nagging her for 3 weeks to let him test a new fertilizer that would allow gardeners to "better cultivate their plants to their fullest potential". What his proposal didn't outline was that he intended to achieve this by making the plants sentient.

The man thought it was a smart idea to give plants the same level of intelligence as dogs or monkeys through gene manipulation and implantation through the fertilizer. Of course, if it didn't work as he predicted, every plant they treated would end up bursting into flames that couldn't be put out by water, sand or conventional methods. They would simply have to contain the fire and let it burn itself out. And the moron wanted to test this "amazing discovery" not in a lab, but on the plants of the rainforest that surrounded their base.

Why had she ever left Morocco?

"Advancement opportunity my ass. This is payback for New Year's. I know it!"

Grumbling to herself made Victoria feel a bit better about how her day was going. And even though she wanted to tear her hair out most days, she had to admit, that at least the days were never boring. As much as she loved the thrill of being in charge of The Corner, it had gotten to the point where her days were becoming a bit stale. She had everyone so well trained, that they didn't really need the oversight that she had been brought in to provide anymore. The one thing that could be said about this place was that it was never boring.

Built in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, the base was situated somewhere near the borders of Peru, Bolivia, & Brazil. A large portion of the base was built underground, with the remaining parts built into the trees themselves. It was a strange mix of cave and living treehouse, but it somehow worked. And as this section of R&D was dedicated more to discovery, rather than inventing for field purposes, the base was equipped with some very unique features. One of her favorite had to be the lights that were actually glowing plants that could adjust the brightness by tapping the leaves in different patterns. It was less harsh on her eyes, and rather soothing whenever she had a headache.

"Ma'am, Dr. Maru is here to discuss her proposal on the Loose Lips Gas."

Like now.

Agent Breena Michaels voice called over the intercom. When Victoria had been transferred 18 months ago, she had demanded that Agent Michaels come with her. She was not going to retrain an assistant while trying to control Fury's Home for Wayward Scientists. And she needed someone sane to share a drink with when they were hiding in her office from the insanity.

Striding to the door Victoria found the petite doctor was trying to argue with her assistant about bringing in a covered cart.

"Dr. Maru, you know the rules. There are no demonstrations outside of the lab. _Ever_. And as I told you before, until you can fix the verbal diarrhea caused by your gas so that it allows us to actually _question_ subjects rather than listening to them ramble, I won't be showing anything to Fury or the higher ups. Now, in light of these parameters,, do you have something to discuss with me?"

Raising one imperious eyebrow, Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. Though her voice had never risen beyond a reasonable level, she knew that if she had any less self-control, she would have been shouting. She had learned early on that yelling and screaming at these scientists did very little to help. It only made them shut down and blindly ramble on about their work, as if by speaking more, they would convince her to give in. Well, she was the mother to a 7 almost 8 year old who was being trained in the art of persuasion by a former Red Room Assassin and former Carnie. They would have to do better than that!

In slight amusement, she watched as Dr. Maru mournfully wheeled her cart back to the elevator, slinking along like a kicked puppy.

"Isabel?"

The small scientist turned back, her eyes glittering with hope.

"Perhaps focus less on the Chemistry and more on the Physics. We know it works; now we need it to work less. Perhaps you should focus on your delivery system, rather than your formula."

With those words, Victoria could see a spark of an idea take root in Maru's eyes. Nodding eagerly, the scientist was off like a shot, frantically pushing the elevator button while scribbling one handed onto the white sheet that was covering her experiment. Waving blindly, she was once again absorbed in her work as the elevator doors slid shut behind her.

Rolling her eyes at Breena, Victoria returned to her office to tackle the incident reports for the last week.

"I still say that this is punishment for something."

* * *

 **Hand Family Suite**

Avery lay on her back, staring up through the glass into the depths of the river than ran over this section of the base. The Hand females were lucky enough to get a suite of rooms that had skylights at the bottom of the river. Whenever she was having a bad day, Avery liked to lay on her back and watch the fish and snakes and other creatures live their life above her.

Avery, her mom, and Nana had been at The Treehouse for about a year and a half now. Most days, she loved living here, getting to see the rainforest up close and personal, getting to visit her mom at work whenever she wanted, learning from the scientists like Dr. Isabel & Dr. Pam, but she missed having kids her age around.

The only people that were posted to the Treehouse long term were the scientists and the division commanders. Most of the agents that came through were here for survival training or doing a rotation in Security. This base didn't have a very big investigative sector, and had almost no involvement with the local governments or populace. At least in Morocco, she had been able to run around the parks in Rabat with the local kids, and she got to go to school with the other agents' kids. Here, she was tutored by her nana during the mornings and given independent projects to do in the afternoon.

Sighing, she tried to decide if she wanted to keep mapping out the air vents like Uncle Clint had shown her, or if she wanted to try shadowing the Security teams like Aunt Tasha had tried to teach her. Seeing a scarred, dark scaled piranha swim overhead, she got a mischievous glint in her eye. She had heard her mom complaining about Fury last week, something about pressuring her scientists into producing and making them overlook safety protocols. Maybe she should show him was it was a _bad idea_ to mess with Mom's systems and people. She hadn't bothered him since New Year's after all.


End file.
